Advantages of Adopting Web Based Retail Point of Sales Solutions
On 23 Jan 2013
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Software as a Service (SaaS) is gaining popularity due to the rapid expansion of network infrastructure globally. Thanks to the affordable mobile broadband, we are able to access to Internet in anytime anywhere easily. Recently Point of sale (POS) system has transform itself into web-based POS, or SaaS based POS. POS system is mission critical IT system as it is responsible to capture the sales transaction and record down all the details pertaining to the transaction for back office management and audit purpose. Web-based POS or mobile POS is highly versatile and capable to run on different OS platform because it runs on web browser. Web-based point of sale is easy to adopt because it does not require any software installation and significantly reduce the complexity at deployment stage. Furthermore, the introduction of HTML 5 technology which allow web-based applications to store data locally within browser build in database improve the business continuity as the application will continue to function even though the connection to the server has lost. Let us find out some advantages of web-based retail POS systems. 1. Access anywhere Conventional POS systems are mostly client-server based architecture. The front-end system is design for cashier operations and data captured from the front-end will be saved into backend database. The data exists within the connected network and cannot be access from outside in most of the case for security reason. Web-based POS is running on web application server which connect directly to Internet and accessible by client systems with web browser. The transaction data is saved into the database which can only access by application server. Since it is web-based, user can access the system from anywhere. This allow shop staff to revert back with availability of inventory without leaving the customer to wait. And it is convenience when doing stock take as the staffs can use tablet or phone to perform the task. 2. Real-time stock management Inventory management is one of the major challenges for store manager as they need to monitor large product database and keep track of the inventory to prevent shortage or surplus of inventory level. Conventional POS system do not allow for parallel access as it require the system to install the POS software before it can be use. Web-based POS will not have this restriction and store manager can access to the inventory module to track the inventory level while cashier is processing transaction. Online POS can also track the inventory of multiple outlets in real-time which make it easy to move stock among outlets to balance the stock level for consumption. 3. Data safety and security Web-based POS systems store all the information in the server which located in the highly secure data center. The data gets backup several time a day and have disaster recovery capability in the event of any destruction happen to the hosting center, the backup hosting center will automatically take over and resume the service without impacting the subscriber. Web-based POS system is also adopting advance security feature like internet banking which keep the data save. In contrary, conventional POS system running on client-server technology rely on local backup protocol, tape backup is common in this case. Unless the POS solution locate in private network and have similar setup as online POS, such as high level security and disaster recovery mechanism, otherwise it is prone to data lose in the event of security breach or disaster. The time require to restore the system back in operation is also take longer and likely to impact the business operation. 4. No installation Web-based POS run on web browser and does not require any software installation. Same web browser is also capable to run on different operating system which enable cross-platform compatibility for this solution. Retailer is able to deploy the web-based POS system in shorter time as there are lesser compatibility issues that may arise during software installation. In the event of hardware failure, retailer can make use of any available system to resume the cashier operations without the need to reinstall the POS software which is usually done by trained technician. And the hardware compatibility issue is also minimal for web-based POS solution deployment in this case. 5. Free features upgrade Web-based POS is normally renewable through monthly subscription and subscriber has the freedom to terminate when they no longer needed the service. Subscriber will enjoy new features introduced by the solution provider without paying extra on top of the subscription fee. In contrary, conventional POS solution likely to have more software issue vice versa. Features upgrade tend to be more expensive for conventional POS. 6. Continue to work when offline Leveraging on the new browser capability, most of the web-based POS solutions are able to run offline which reduce the risk of interruption caused by Internet connection. The application will automatically synchronize with server once the network services restore and it is seamless to the end-user. As it is capable to work both online and offline, it has no different compare to conventional POS. 7. Better user experiences Web-based POS has a larger group of subscriber and constantly feedback when the software error was detected. And it is design to fit into more retail operations, hence it is more versatile in term of usability. Traditional POS has more localized design to fit in to the local retail business process. 8. Low initial investment and faster ROI Conventional POS are expensive because it requires to install the software into the client computers and these software come with a licenses fee. These licenses fee is extra cost to burden the user. Web-based POS on the other hand is subscription services, retailer just need to buy the service and not the licenses. Hence retailer have lower initial investment for POS solutions and able to recover their investment in shorter period of time. Go to | Previous Page |
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